The Sunday herald., 1887-01-09
RANDOM WRITINGS.

Roscoe Conklng Is picturesque In appearance. dra-
matte In action, and epigr0mmatc In speech. That's
not al Conkllng Is hut by these signs ye shall know
HIN. His appearance at Logans funeral the other
day was quite dramatic, and they are telling little
remark OF his which was decidedly cplgammac.
In canvasslna with confidential friend the events
OF the years since the decline OF the Republic began
tConkDg Is understood to reckon this from the hour
he LETT the Senate) the conversation turned on
well known man, noted by those who are on the
inside Tor ways that are dark and tricks that are
vain, but who Keeps up brave outward show Of in
tcgrIty. "lie has had most remarkable career,r
said the friend, with faraway look IN mis- eyes, as
trying to cover \ vast neld division. "wonderfui,
wonderful said Conkling. "And the most wonder
fu thing about Is his In keeping ont Of the
penitentary."
an tell You why the newspapers ridicule hotel
clerks so numerically" said n member OF that
much abused profession the other night. zone OF
the chief duties OF the hotel clerk is to answer ques.
tions. thing you are IN the habit Of doing all the
time soon becomes almost automatic, and you can
do 1t while your mind IL really on other things.
People ask the same questions Of a hotel clerk
hundred times day. lie quickly gets the answers
down to the brlefest possible formula. These he
rattles OF in perunctory, unnerested way to all
inqulrers, including newspaper men, The newspaper
men get an Idea they have not received sufrlcient
attention, and Immediately jump to the conclusion
that the hotel clerks abstractcd manner Ia due TO
self-concet, when 1t Is simply result OF system.
atizng his work."
There's great dea! IN this, but the fact remains
that In some unaccountable manner many hotel
clerks, and especially young ones, absorb the Idea
they are OF vast consequence In a community and
above the necessity which other business men md
OF being civil to all comers. l saw very clipper
young snob OF a clerk beautifully taken down by an
older and more experienced snob at an uptown no.
Tel few nights ago The young man In question
handles the mail OF SO many distinguished states.
men that he quite considers himself one OF them,
and feels competent to patronlze all ordinary peo-
pie who fall in his way. well-known Senator OF
dyspeptic diathesls and uncertain temper had
Just arrived. The young clerk beamed on him with
all the kindness OF personal regard, inquired after
his health, and wound up by asking In a rather loud
tone OF voice when the statesman's wife aud daugh.
ter would return to town. The Senator turned on
him with look that Just desoated the smrk on his
countenance, and dryy but loudly answered, "well,
III let you know In time for you to make the nres In
their rooms"
"Florida Is losing Its prestige as resort for weak
chestcd people," said a well known physician
"Nearly every winter now the severe cold waves
sweep far down the peninsula, causing almost as
sudden and violent changes Of temperature as we
nave here In Washington. Consequently the tide
OF invalid travel has gain set almost exclusively to
Southern California. OF course Florida Is better
than Washington, and 1t is much nearer than Cali
lorna, but for those who can stand the longer
Journey, the latter Is the place. and we are sending
our patients there nearly altogether"
II Is said the mind cure is "catchlng on" remark
ably In Washington, and that physicians In certain
lines OF practice have actually begun to feel the
effects OF 1t on their business. This is not to be
wonderded at, considering that In many cases the
treatment ia IDENTICAL with this exception that the
mind cureists do not give bread-pils, but frankly
acknowledge their dependence on the Imagination,
or Will, or whatever they call II, to effect cure
One popularity about the mind-cure movement In
Washington tand doubtless this Is In great meas.
ure true of other ctes) Is the fact that the
practitioners and patients are almost exclusively of
the female sex.
l know lady Of undonbted intelligence who be-
leves firmly she has been benefited by practitioner
OF the "cure," and thinks she eau feel the good
effects OF "reaiment" when the practitioner Is In
another part OF the city but "has her In mlndn by
agreement at certain hour. 1t seems people can
not get along without superstition, and suppose we
ought to be thankful the supersttions Of our age arc
OF this delicate, ethereal kind. These beautiful and
rarined fancies belong to the era OF the telegraph
and the telephone Superstition has always clus-
tered about the science OF healing, and In grosser
ages grosser superstons obtained, 80 that when all
Is said we will have to come back 20 the belief that
this bent OF the human mind is not condition, butt
faculty that will have play. Just what we can see
and hear and taste and touch and smell never salts
fes us. We crave for something beyond.
Mrs. Langiry has the reputation among stage peo-
pie Of being actress in thousand in her freedom
from selshness and pretense To ALL It IL said, she
is alike polite and considerate and makes every one
about her feel at their ease She seems to be abso-
luely unspOiled by success. Only those who have
some knowledge Of the profession can fully appre
cate what tribute this Is to her head and her heart
Actors and actresses as rule are insaney exacting
In the matter of what may he termed grease-paint
caste, the divisions of which are made rule on
salary basis. The star generally Ignores the exist
ence OF such people as scene-shlfte and SUPER
numerarles, unless he finds 1t necessary to damn
them. Many stars go much further, and permit no
one to speak to them unless in answering questions
Lawrence Barrett belongs to this latter class 1t ia
said, and hence the trouble he has In getting self
respecting people to stay with him.
But despite Mrs. Langtrys charm of manner, In
business matters she is "strlctly business" and
keeps as firm grip on her money as women with
much harder and less beautiful hands. Her i'm
provement In every way since she visited Washing
ton three seasons ago has been indeed remarkable
with one notable exception: her elocurlonary meth.
ods are still as innocent OF art they ever were
Gen. L. $. Bragg, of Wisconsin, spent the first
Sunday of the New Year In writing to some
Of his clients Ia effect that for many years past
he had deVoe1 his time AMI attention to their
business and to the de,rment OF his own but
that now, having passed the meridian OF age and
completed his sixteth year, he merely acted as